Google (actually, don’t) “pro-ana” or other “thinspo” buzzwords and you’ll see literally thousands of message boards, websites, social media accounts and other dark little Internet hideaways home to what are effectively pro-eating disorder support groups. The mostly female participants living off barely-there nourishment like Diet Coke and apple slivers encourage each other to fast, posting motivational pictures of thigh gaps, sunken stomachs and rib cages.

Pinterest and Tumblr chose to police thinspo tags about a year ago. The effectiveness of tag bans is up for debate, of course. And no one appears to be harping on YouTube, despite its myriad of impossibly thin anorexics posting enabling vlogs of their frightening attempts to whittle away.

“The issue is a contentious one, and with good reason – on one hand it is in everyone’s best interest to protect young or otherwise impressionable users from material that might encourage them to self-harm,” writes fashion blogger Styleite. “On the other, banning certain categories of content may pave the way for greater censorship down the line.”

The National Eating Disorder Association is willing to help sites come up with effective strategies, training Pinterest moderators to detect the difference between the innocuous and thinspiring. The organization also teamed up with Tumblr to enact a policy that directs people to a public service announcement if they search a pro-starvation tag.

“I’m not going to say I think it’d be super effective,” answers Padilla. “But I don’t think they should just sit back and not do anything about it just because [pro-eating disorder users] will find something else to use. They should be blocking every channel they’ve got that gets the message across, and keep blocking the tags until the movement is suppressed. This is an issue that requires a vigilant effort. I’m in favor of blocking the thinspo hashtag. I really hope this issue gets resolved, because this is an epidemic, basically. I hope girls can escape it.”